It was one of the most extraordinary public meetings in the Watchdog’s long memory…anywhere. The purpose was to hurriedly approve the restructuring of the Convention Center debt and additional borrowing of $750,000 through an arrangement with Wells Fargo to purchase all outstanding bonds and become the bond owner rather than the bond guarantor.
Month: August 2011
Teens On Facebook And Social Media Sites More Likely To Drink, Smoke And Use Drugs: Study
From the HUFF POST: Some researchers who worked on the study acknowledged that it didn’t analyze whether social network use influences illicit behavior. According to a blog post on SFGate: The research wasn’t set up to determine a cause and effect “in part because human will – the individual’s decision to use illegal drugs, alcohol […]
U.S. Profits Per Employee Jump As Raises Remain Modest: Study
From the HUFF POST: Companies are squeezing greater profits out of their employees, even as layoffs rise and the outlook for hiring and raises remains mixed, a recent study has found. Profits per employee have gone up for the second year in a row, according to a study by the financial analysis company Sageworks…
Carmakers’ rebound is driving jobs in U.S.
From the LOS ANGELES TIMES: Taxpayers bailed out much of the U.S. auto industry. Now the carmakers might be what saves the nation’s economy from falling back into recession. After a massive restructuring and several high-profile bankruptcies, a leaner, more aggressive auto industry is making a comeback, hiring workers and ramping up manufacturing plants. From […]
Grave reservations: Drilling beneath cemeteries is a deal too far
From the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: Cemeteries are hallowed ground. They are quiet, green and peaceful — befitting their use as the final resting place for the earthly remains of hundreds, often thousands, of souls. These tranquil grounds are not just for the dead, but perhaps even more for the living, many of whom return to mourn, to plant, to remember.
Cheney Says He Urged Bush to Bomb Syria in ’07
From the NEW YORK TIMES: …He wrote that George J. Tenet, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, resigned in 2004 just “when the going got tough,” a decision he calls “unfair to the president.” He wrote that he believes that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell tried to undermine President Bush by privately expressing […]
New York Mayor Bloomberg Bans Religion at 9/11 Ceremony
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is under attack for refusing to allow members of the clergy to play a role in the city’s commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Bloomberg insists the ceremonies should focus on the families of those killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. He is also barring political […]
Buy “Made in China” goods? Benefits to U.S. may surprise you
From USA TODAY: …Research this month from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco shows that for every dollar spent on a China-made item, 55 cents go to U.S. businesses for services such as marketing and sales. Last year, 2.7% of U.S. consumer spending went to products made in China, according to the study. The […]
The Kinsey Report had it right sixty years ago
I found the article on bi-sexuality interesting and welcome in terms of its subject matter. It brought to mind Alfred Kinsey’s great studies, and spectrum. Seems very few people are absolutely hetero- or homosexual. Most fall somewhere within Kinsey’s poles. The public’s denial of widespread homosexuality also brought to mind an episode from my youth. […]
Ron Paul’s views simplistic
I just finished Ron Paul’s book “End the Fed”. I hoped to find Ron Paul has some answers or at least an approach to better politics. Unfortunately his own words show him, IMO, to oversimplify U.S. economics. Worse than that, much of his conclusions are based on anecdotes rather that facts. Although some of his […]
Steve Jobs Resigns As CEO Of Apple
“To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community: “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. “I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I […]
Doctors, patients assess benefits of Medical Marijuana
From PBS HOURLY NEWS: … Sixteen states have passed laws that allow patients to use the drug to treat side effects of various illnesses. But now some are moving to either limit or repeal those laws. One of them is Montana.
Biden on China trip: ‘I didn’t come to explain a damn thing’
From the LOS ANGELES TIMES: …Ending a trip that began in China, the vice president stated clearly that his visit there was not one of reassurance about American finances, as had been the prevailing sentiment… In an interview Monday night Biden was more diplomatic when discussing his talks with Chinese leaders, saying their comments behind closed doors about U.S. finances didn’t match public criticism.
Corbett official, GOP back voter ID bill
From the POST GAZETTE: Move over, bartender. You won’t be the only one asking for ID if the state Senate agrees to a controversial change in election law that the Corbett administration stumped for Tuesday. The state’s top election official came out in support of a GOP-backed effort to require voters to show photo identification […]